President says new panel on race, policies will look at UT police
By Sharon Jayson
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
University of Texas President Larry Faulkner took the heat Monday as students filled a campus auditorium to tell him what’s wrong and how he should fix strained race relations on campus.
An ethnically diverse crowd of more than 300 filled the room where Faulkner fielded questions and listened to comments about the heightened racial tensions the campus has seen this year. Several recent incidents prompted Monday’s forum and the creation of a panel of faculty members, students and staff members to review university policies.
At the forum, the students weren’t hostile, but they made sure the president knew where they stood.
“Your methods aren’t working,” said Rudy Metayer, a senior majoring in government and philosophy.
The questions were pointed often at the UT Police Department and Chief Jeffrey Van Slyke, who was not at the meeting. But Faulkner vowed that police procedures are among major areas of concern for his new panel.
Last week university officials appeared at a forum on minority recruiting that had been planned since the fall. That discussion ended up focusing on the racial climate and grew hostile at times. Faulkner was not present.
In January, the Martin Luther King Jr. statue and three UT buildings were vandalized during the King holiday. Earlier this month, UT administrators began investigating other incidents, including allegations that members of two fraternities wore racially offensive costumes at parties, accusations of racial profiling and a controversy over providing security for an upcoming Soul Night student party.
Student Kevin Curry, who said he was racially profiled by university police, asked Faulkner for action now.
“I’m itching to know what’s going to happen,” he said.
Ike Ofili, a senior majoring in computer engineering, criticized Faulkner for not getting mad enough when the King statue was egged.
Faulkner said he wanted to “convey a sense of disappointment and grief that I also felt, but I obviously failed.”
When asked about racism at UT, Faulkner said: “This place is a reflection of Texas. Does racism exist in Texas? Sure. And it exists here.”
Faulkner had planned to announce members of the President’s Committee on Racial Respect and Fairness last week. As of Monday, the only person selected was Chairwoman Darlene Grant, an associate professor of social work. The committee is to report its findings before the semester’s end.
University officials have said they think the increase in race-related incidents might be fueled in part by media reports on a challenge to the University of Michigan’s affirmative action admissions policies now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in 1996 effectively barred using affirmative action in admissions to Texas’ public colleges and universities.
Faulkner vowed to bring affirmative action back to campus if the Supreme Court sides with Michigan.
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